Gambling in Cambodia

Cambodian citizens are allowed to gamble through government sponsored gaming including five separate privately run national lotteries.

The police forces in Cambodia, ruled by one of the most corrupt governments in the world,[5] often look the other way as casinos freely allow locals to enter and provide private rooms for government and law enforcement officials, who oftentimes have a vested financial interest in the casinos, to conduct illegal gambling.

[6] Extralegal activities are also widespread outside of the permitted casinos ranging from cockfights and card rooms to sports book (primarily regional football and Kun Khmer matches) and unauthorized lotteries.

[8]: 106  In 2019, they opened the National Police's Anti-Technology Crime Division joint operations center in Phnom Penh.

[12][13] Despite the official prohibition on citizens partaking in any form of unauthorized gaming, gambling is a significant part of Cambodian culture.

[12][4][13] Gambling, usually in the form of card or dice games, is traditionally only socially acceptable during the weeks surrounding New Year celebrations.

[12][4][13] A foreign passport is required to enter a casino in Cambodia, providing a loophole that allows the many urban Cambodians with dual citizenship to legally gamble.

The rural population and those that can't produce a foreign ID must bribe the local police to gain entry to legitimate casinos.

Gamblers leaving casinos or other, less formal, illicit gaming venues have reported being forced to give up to two-thirds of their daily winnings to police in order to avoid arrest when caught.